SQUID MARKS ON BOWL

One Indonesian restaurant is trying to convince people that eating out of the toilet isn’t all that bad. Diners at the Jamban café on Java Island are treated to not only food served in squat toilets but also seating that is upright toilets. On the menu – soup and brightly coloured alcohol-free cocktails. Owner Budi Laksono hopes that the restaurant will prompt discussions about public hygiene in Indonesia. Laksono, who was formally a public health expert for the local government, uses the restaurant as a talking point to encourage customers to use toilets.

“This café serves as a reminder that many people in Indonesia still do not have toilets. Millions of Indonesians live below the poverty line, and the country has one of the world’s highest rates of open defecation, defecating outside and not in designated toilets. While it isn’t a new idea, it is certainly novel and is more about educating diners.